


December

by icantbestill29



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:49:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21994015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icantbestill29/pseuds/icantbestill29
Summary: Christmas propunk A/U
Relationships: Rachel Duncan/Sarah Manning
Comments: 11
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the_other_lutece_sister](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_other_lutece_sister/gifts).



“Bloody stupid thing,” Sarah muttered, fiddling with the key in the lock. She dropped it twice in succession before managing to open the door, the effort so Herculean that she and the leggy redhead she’d brought back to the dorm (Melissa? Or was it Melinda?) fell onto themselves and over the threshold, nearly tumbling to the floor. Her date collapsed into a fit of drunken giggles and Sarah put a finger to her lips. “Shhh,” she slurred exaggeratedly. “My roommate is sleeping and she’s not gonna be nice if we wake her up.”

Unsteadily, she managed to lead Melissa or Melinda to the tiny twin bed, laughing as she pushed her down, ambling on top of her. “C’mere,” Sarah kissed her sloppily, eternally grateful for the five shots of bourbon that made the woman’s shrill laughter more, if not entirely, bearable. She tugged her into a sitting position by the collar, grabbing her arms to roughly pull the shirt over her head. Just as Sarah began to work the button of her jeans, a distinctive throat-clearing shattered through the sounds of heavy breathing. The noise, she realized not without a flash of annoyance, seemed to originate from the lump of blankets stationed on the bed across the room.

Ignoring the interruption, she left a hot trail of kisses from the redhead’s neck and down over collarbone, across the taut skin of her abdomen, delighting in the breathy, little moans the other woman was making. Her hand splayed low, she was just about to yank down the garment when a voice cut in.

Rachel emerged from the protective fortress she’d secluded herself in and pushed herself into a semi-erect position. “Some of us,” she continued scathingly, “are concerned with whether or not we do well on our final examinations. I would suggest, perhaps, you could demonstrate a facile of consideration and take your romantic interlude elsewhere.” 

In the dim light, her form was indiscernible, but Sarah imagined that the vein in the side of her neck that tended to pulse whenever she was angry was positively _screaming_. The thought gave her an unexpected shiver of pleasure and she turned toward her date, shrugging apologetically. “Sorry, love, but you’re gonna have to piss off.”

The woman stared at her, her jaw slack. “Excuse me?”

“Look, as much as I could use a good shag, I don’t need her making my life any more miserable than it already is, yeah?” She hiked a thumb in Rachel’s direction. “She’s a real gem, this one.”

“I’ll have you know, my hearing is perfectly adequate, Sarah.”

The constant dry, biting retorts were one of the many things about Rachel that drove her insane, along with her clipped, precise, SAT vocabulary. Not for the first time, she cursed whoever’s idea of a cruel, cosmic joke it was to assign them as roommates, right along with the assholes at campus housing who refused to issue her a room change.

“Alright,” she pulled her companion from the bed with one hand, the woman’s balled up shirt in the other, “off you go now. I’ll give you a call sometime.”

“But you don’t have my number,” the woman protested as Sarah began to usher her out.

“It’s been fun, g’night!” Giving her a tiny shove over the threshold, she closed the door soundly behind her and turned toward Rachel.

“Do you get off on being a bitch or something?” The remaining burn of the whiskey in the back of her throat coupled with the unfulfilled throb between her legs made her reckless and she wasn’t sure what would come out of her mouth. “Could’ve just pretended you were asleep and minded your own bloody business.”

Rachel regarded her calmly. “If you choose to drink away the rest of your time at university, that’s your choice. I personally don’t understand how you haven’t been expelled yet, but it isn’t any of my concern. I don’t even care if you want to bring back your flavor of the week, day, minute… provided I’m absent from our room. What I do mind,” she turned on the light above her head, ignoring Sarah’s groan, “is when you decide to come back in a drunken stupor and make a ruckus that wakes me up. Honestly, were you really going to have sexual intercourse with that girl while I was across from you?” Her tone was laden with disgust.

“I thought you were _sleeping_ ,” Sarah replied, glaring. “You are so bloody impossible.” In a huff, she stripped down to her underwear, too full of seeping anger to notice how Rachel’s gaze swept over her body. Pulling a t-shirt from the dirty laundry, she pulled it over her head and flung herself onto the mattress. “Needs to get laid,” she mumbled into the pillow. “Maybe she would be able to get the stick out her arse then.”

"Once again, Sarah, I can hear you,” her roommate called out, switching the light off. “You know I put in for a room transfer, as well. Many times.”

“Uh-huh, night, Rachel. Sleep tight.”

***

“Now Sarah,” Alison held up one finger toward her, “the end of the term is in ten days. All you have to do is get through ten more days without bloodshed and—” “

"And then I’ll have to deal with her once we come back from holiday because no one in this dump gives a rat’s arse that my roommate is a raging, bloody, cu—”

“Hold it right there, missy,” The RA tugged at her pink cardigan, her voice pinched with shock that anyone could ever even think using of language so vile, “we are ladies here, so I think we should speak like ladies, don’t you agree?” She glanced around the rec room to ensure that nobody had over-heard Sarah’s miscreant behavior and when she was satisfied, she turned back to her, folding her hands primly in her lap. “I’m sorry, Sarah, but there’s just nothing I can do. Rachel is perfectly within her rights by asking you not to bring guests in past eleven. If anything, you’re in violation of the housing agreement you signed at the beginning of the year. Shall I pull it up for you?” She tapped her laptop with a fingernail.

“No,” Sarah sighed, her shoulders sagging. “Wouldn’t want you to exert yourself any more than you have to.”

“Listen, Sarah,” Alison leaned in conspiratorially, “My advice would be to try and be kind to her. Invite her to something with your friends…include her. I don’t know her very well, but I do know she appears to be by herself a good majority of the time.” She shrugged. “Maybe she just needs companionship.”

 _If she wants companionship, she should get a bloody dog then_ , was her first thought but she didn’t think Alison would appreciate it, so she kept it to herself. “There’s a reason she’s always alone. Nobody can stand her for more than five minutes at a time, yeah?”

Alison sighed deeply. “Please, at least make an effort, would you? I’m not going to lie, your complaints about her every other week are, how do I put this nicely?” She pursed her lips, “they’re a little tiresome. Your spats are of no consequence in the grand scheme of things.”

“Thanks for all the help,” she muttered, cursing under her breath. “I gotta go, I’m gonna be late to class.”

“You’re welcome!” Alison called out sunnily to her retreating form as she stormed off.

For the next few days, when Rachel was actually around, she gave her the silent treatment and briefly, she got the tiniest twinge of guilt, realizing Alison must have spoken to her. Either that or she was busy studying for finals, Sarah reasoned. Whatever the explanation, Rachel was gone a good portion of the time and while normally, having the room all to herself would have been thrilling, she couldn’t help but feel that she’d driven her away. She knew she could be hard, but she wasn’t a monster. On the fourth consecutive day of the same routine, Rachel had finally returned, books in her arms, shutting the door quietly behind her. Sarah glanced up from her position on the bed, tapping her foot in time to the music she was listening to.

“Hey,” she attempted casually, taking her headphones out. Rachel barely glanced in her direction, busying herself instead with shrugging out her emerald pea coat, taking off her hat, her scarf. Snowflakes peppered the ends of her hair and she looked almost pretty, not that Sarah noticed those sorts of things. _How dare this bitch ignore me_ , Sarah seethed to herself. _Where does she get off?_ “Look, Rachel, this is silly, innit? We’re not kids and this is university. We should be able to speak about our issues…openly,” she said, testing out the word.

“Really?” Rachel turned toward her, eyes flashing. “Does that include running to Alison Hendrix to bitterly complain about me?”

_Fucking Alison Hendrix._

“I wasn’t complaining,” she trod cautiously, picking at a hole in her sock. “I was just…venting.”

“Venting.” Her roommate looked at her skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest. “You hate me,” she stated flatly. “Don’t try to deny it.”

“Hate is a strong word,” Sarah argued weakly. “I don’t hate you, Rachel. I just don’t think we’re very compatible roommates is all.”

“And why do we have to be? All I’m asking, all I’ve ever asked of you, is respect. To actually keep quiet during quiet hours. To not interrupt my sleep…to allow me to study when I need to. I’m not asking for anything novel, Sarah.” Her expression was no longer annoyed or pissed, instead, she appeared a little sad, as if Sarah’s speaking to Alison behind her back was a betrayal.

“Uh, I’m sorry,” she heard herself mumble.

“What was that? It sounded as if you just said you were sorry.” Rachel gazed at her incredulously. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that particular utterance coming from your lips.”

“Yeah, well, I shouldn’t have tried to shag that girl with you in the room. Wasn’t right. And coming in so loud. It was wrong of me and I’ll try not to have it happen again. Sides’, it’s Christmas, almost. Tidings of good cheer and all that…”

Rachel was staring at her as though she had two heads. “Well, in that case, I accept your apology.”

“Right then.” The conversation died in the air and giving it an awkward beat or two, Sarah shoved the headphones back in, closing her eyes, beginning to drift off for a minute or two. “Shit,” she jolted awake, plunging upright, “what time is it?”

Rachel glanced at her phone. “Not even ten o’clock yet.” Curiously, she questioned, “Are you planning on going out tonight? I believe most classes finished up today so there’s a party almost everywhere on campus.”

“Why?” Sarah eyed her with a smirk. “You going to one?”

“Certainly not,” she scoffed, as if the mere notion was preposterous. “I don’t binge drink and I don’t sleep with strangers which means there will be absolutely no point in attending.”

Sarah thought the real reason was that she would never get invited to those types of parties in the first place, but she clamped down on her lower lip. “To answer your question, no, I’m not going. I’m tired from these bloody exams all week and I thought I’d give my poor liver a break.”

She had to blink but she was fairly certain Rachel smiled. _A bloody Christmas miracle_ , she marveled. “I’m just gonna turn in early, I think.” She lifted her shirt over her head, unhooked her bra. There was no shyness about being nude in front of anyone and most of the time, Rachel had the decency to turn her back anyhow. She’d just pulled down her jeans to pool around her ankles and begun to step out of them when she felt eyes on her, the heat of a gaze.

Rachel.

She began to bring her head up and as soon as she made the slightest movement, she heard Rachel immediately roll over in the opposite direction.

 _Oh_ , the realization permeated her brain and she nearly gasped in recognition. _Oh_. As she let herself drift off, she considered Alison’s words, that Rachel just needed a little kindness, a friend, maybe.

 _Interesting,_ she thought before sleep overtook her. _Very interesting indeed._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Propunk AU

Operation seduction, as Sarah dubbed her little scheme, served two purposes. The first was to get Rachel laid so that she wouldn’t be so damn uptight all the time and the second was sportsmanship of sorts. She was certain Rachel would rather die than make the first move, just as she would rather die than to admit she lusted after a hoodlum like Sarah. Her blue-blooded ancestors were probably hanging their heads in shame, Sarah pondered, and the thought sent her into a giggling fit that morphed into a coughing fit where even Rachel looked mildly concerned and offered to get her water.

Rachel, while not her type, wasn’t half bad looking, she begrudgingly admitted. Her eyes were a rich shade of green, warmer than she realized, and her bone structure was something to admire, though Sarah could’ve done without the severe blonde bob. Her favorite feature on the other woman was her mouth, the way her lush lips turned up the corners whenever she was mildly amused, which wasn’t often. It hadn’t taken Sarah very long to fantasize about kissing that mouth, invading it with her tongue, making Rachel beg for it.

The ten days before the term ended were almost up and Sarah was no closer to getting her into bed than she’d been at the beginning of her conquest. Her roommate was only slightly more tolerable; she acknowledged Sarah’s existence now and though it was a step in the right direction, she knew she had to up the ante, quickly. 

“What are you doing tonight?” She asked casually one evening. She raised her hands above her head, stretching, aware the movement exposed her abs. 

Her roommate looked up from her book, slightly taken aback. “I’m reading, Sarah.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I can see that. I meant what you are you doing later?”

“I couldn’t possibly predict what I may be doing in the future. It could be any number of things.” Her tone held a slightly haughty edge to it.

Rachel could feign indignance all she wanted but they both knew full well that she would still be in the same position, three hours from then or ten hours from then. She could read for hours, books that had thousands of pages, books that made Sarah’s head begin to throb just by looking at the front cover.

“Don’t sp’ose you’d want to, I dunno,” she shrugged, “come out? There’s a Christmas party going on at Mel’s, that little dive off-campus. A few of us are going…”

Rachel put down her reading and stared at a space above Sarah’s head for a good two minutes, Sarah supposed if she’d been timing it. “You’re asking me if I want to go to a party?”

“Uh, yeah.” She confirmed with a shrug. “It’d be fun.” Doubtful, but whatever.

“With you.”

“That’s the general idea, yeah.”

“Why?”

The suspicion in her voice shouldn’t have made Sarah wince but it did. She knew she hadn’t exactly been an ideal roommate and if she were Rachel, she wouldn’t have trusted her motives either. Still, it stung a little that the other woman automatically suspected that her intention was one of malice.

Even though it was.

“Jesus, I dunno, Rachel, because it’s better than spending your Saturday night holed up in this room doing the same thing you do every weekend? Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

“Don’t you get tired of getting obliterated and nearly drowning in your own vomit every weekend?” Rachel retorted.

“Someone’s a little touchy,” Sarah stood, running a hand through messy locks in a futile attempt to straighten them. She peered into the floor-length mirror that hung on her closet door, further smudging her haphazardly applied eyeliner with the back of her thumb. “Suit yourself. Don’t say I didn’t ask you…I made an effort.”

“I’m not a charity case you feel you have to take on to appease your conscience,” Rachel replied icily. “You’ve barely said two words to me since we’ve begun to share this room and what little you have said was completely rude and self-serving. What is it you always say?” she shot back bitingly, “piss off, Sarah.”

The sting of her outburst hung in the air and though she hadn’t raised her voice by a single decibel, Sarah drew back as if she’d been struck. 

“Fine,” she hissed, tugging on her leather jacket. “Tell yourself whatever you want, Rachel. It’s sad you can’t deal with a little kindness. Enjoy being alone.”

She pretended she didn’t feel Rachel’s eyes on her as she slammed the door shut behind her.

***

“Fuck,” Sarah pushed herself into the room, bracing herself against the door frame as a fresh wave of agony overtook her. Limping over to her side of the room, she managed to throw her weight onto the unmade bed, cursing as her ankle throbbed.

“Sarah?” Rachel was in the same position she was when she’d left her, Anna Karenina perched on her lap. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” she managed to gasp out through gritted teeth. “I’m fine.”

“You most certainly are not. You’re obviously in pain.”

“Why do you care?” Her breathing was heavy as she struggled to find a position that didn’t send her entire leg into spasms. 

“I don’t. However, I do have a shred of decency and you’re injured.” She moved cautiously to the other side of the room. “How did you happen to—”

“I wasn’t pissed if that’s what you’re getting at.” The pain was making her light-headed now and she was tempted to flop over. “I was going outside for a smoke and I stepped off the bloody stupid sidewalk wrong. Rolled my ankle.”

“And no one was around to come to your aid?” Rachel looked horrified at the notion she would just be left to her own devices and despite wanting to cut the entire right side of her body off, a small smile crossed her lips.

“Eh, they were all too busy getting pissed.” She shrugged indifferently. “I called a cab. Driver asked if I wanted him to take me to hospital, but I had him bring me back here.”

“Well,” Rachel pursed her lips, “that was an incredibly foolish thing to do. What if it’s broken, Sarah?” She shook her head reproachfully as if she was speaking to a naughty child.

“S’not that bad.”

“You’re perspiring and you’re very pale.” The touch of concern in her voice would have been sweet if it wasn’t also grating and no sooner had Rachel gotten the words out, she felt a wave of nausea hit.

“Rachel, wastebasket now.”

“Are you going to be ill?” Now Rachel had gone pale, her eyes widening. 

“Yeah,” she managed, “and unless you want me puking all over the carpet, hurry up.”

Making haste, she brought over their shared trash can and Sarah immediately wretched into it, emptying the contents of her stomach. 

Well, there goes that, she thought miserably. No bigger turn-off than watching someone throw up into a bin.

But to her surprise and Rachel’s supreme credit, the other woman showed no signs of disgust, only a kind of removed concern. “I’m going to get you some water.” 

She was gone for only a minute before she returned, handing the proffered bottle to Sarah who gratefully took a few sips. 

“I’m sure my opinion is irrelevant but you really should go down to student health. You’re in more pain than you’re letting on if your vomiting is any indication.” Rachel told her placidly. “I could—accompany you, if you wish.”

If she hadn’t been praying for a swift and imminent death, Sarah would’ve have pumped her fist in triumph. Puking aside, it was the most human Rachel had ever been to her and that, she could surely work with.

“Fine,” she relented wearily. “Lemme just get rid of this,” she gestured to the trash before Rachel wordlessly took it from her, lifting the bag (only with slight disdain, Sarah noted) and tied up the ends. 

“We’ll get rid of it along the way. Can you lean on me?” 

With effort, Sarah managed to rise into a semi-upright position, Rachel scooting underneath her arm. “I dunno if I can—”

“Yes, you can,” Rachel assured her calmly and normally, her being so unflappable would make Sarah want to punch her. Currently, it only served to aid matters, especially since there was no one else around to help. 

In an hour or so, they’d made it back from student health where Sarah was informed her ankle was not broken, just a minor sprain which didn’t require crutches (much to her disappointment as she prepared to milk her injury with Rachel) and that it was understandable that it hurt as much as it did; she had a low pain threshold. The doctor on call wrapped her ankle, gave her a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol and sent her on her way. 

“At least it’s not broken,” she mumbled as Rachel opened the door back to the room and helped her onto her bed. “Bloody could’ve been, though.”

“That’s why they took x-rays,” Rachel reminded her quietly, hanging up her coat. “I can help you with yours,” she gestured to Sarah’s jacket which she hadn’t managed to wrangle off. The effort seemed too much and the short walk to student health had exhausted her.

“Uh, yeah. Please.” 

In two quick strides, Rachel was in her space, her hands on the zipper of the jacket, pulling it down. Her expression was unreadable, which, was nothing new, but as their eyes met, hers told a different story. There was a flicker of something, a spark, something that Sarah knew she should latch on to before it was too late.

Rachel’s hands were on her shoulders now and she could feel the heat of her fingers through the thin leather as she eased it down, gently freeing her arms. Her touch lingered a second longer than necessary and that clean, lemony scent that was just Rachel hit her nose as she unconsciously inhaled.

Kiss her, moron, every atom in her body screamed at her. Kiss her now.

But she hadn’t brushed her teeth and her mouth tasted like shit and before she could ruminate on the idea, any further, the moment had passed and Rachel was back on her side of the room again, making herself comfortable.

“Sorry I ruined your evening,” Sarah sank into the pillows, feeling entirely useless.

“Not as if I had had any plans.”

It was Rachel’s feeble attempt at a joke and though it was reality, the sting of her words, alluding to exactly what Rachel was saying, came back to her, sat on her skin in an uncomfortable way where she wanted to scratch it out. 

“Still, you didn’t have to come to my rescue. ‘Specially after how I treated you.”

With a sigh, Rachel closed her book and looked at her, the light reflecting off of her glasses. “The difference between you and I, Sarah Manning, is that my circumstances have made me somewhat aware of how it feels to be completely alone…to have no one care about your entire existence. In your case, you needed some assistance and I happened to be there to provide it. Our spat aside.”

“Rachel—”

“I don’t need your pity,” she brandished an open palm out as if to stop the inevitable mountain of senseless garbage Sarah was about to spew. “I simply did what was decent, given the situation. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Everything was a business arrangement to her, a transaction, and sleepily, Sarah wondered what kind of home she could have possibly been raised in to be so awful at human interaction.

“Well…thanks. For being there to help.” 

Rachel gave a slight nod of acceptance. “You’re welcome.”

As an afterthought, she turned back over, a smirk tugging at corners of her lips. “Besides, as you recently pointed out, it’s Christmas. Peace and goodwill toward men, is it?”

“Something like that,” Sarah muttered back as her roommate turned toward the wall once again.

She was glad Rachel couldn’t see her grinning like a fool.

***

Rachel, she reasoned, either had to be completely oblivious, an idiot, or knew exactly what Sarah was doing, and she was not about to let her win at her own game. Personally, she believed it was the latter and though she sent subtle hints as the days went on and Rachel had even smiled at her a few times (if you could call her lips barely upturning a smile), it was exactly two days before everyone would go home for the holidays and Sarah had to accept she had failed miserably at her plan.

But somewhere between two and three in the morning, as she was tossing and turning, inspiration struck her. It was a ridiculously corny idea, one that would surely make Rachel roll her eyes. If nothing else, it might make her laugh, break the ice a bit further. Hell, it could be the last crack she needed to thaw Rachel completely.

She hatched her plot while Rachel was out of the room, acting quickly. She ran to get the object in question and hung it, wobbling precariously on the desk chair. When she’d finished, she admired her work and waited for Rachel to return.  


And return she did, balancing a soy yogurt in one hand, a bottle of water in the other, acknowledging Sarah with a perfunctory nod. 

She waited for her to notice what she’d done, tapping her foot against the wall in an attempt to replicate one of The Clash’s drum solos until Rachel glanced up sharply from the suitcase she was placing carefully folded clothes into.  


“Is there something you wanted?” She asked, raising her eyebrows in her direction.

“Uh, nah. Just seeing if you’ve noticed anything---different.”

Rachel sighed. “Everything appears to be the same, Sarah. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to packing to spend the holidays with my egotistical and psychologically damaging mother.”

“Your mum is a right witch, huh?” It explained the ice princess routine, the inability to engage well with others.

“That,” Rachel said deliberately, “may just be the understatement of the year.” Quietly, she went back to what she was doing, leaving Sarah, for once in her life, speechless.

“If you’re talking about the mistletoe,” she broke in abruptly, refusing to meet her eyes, “then yes, I noticed.”

“Oh.” Her insides suddenly felt squishy and she sat up, trying to drum up some confidence. “Well, you know what mistletoe means, yeah?”

“I’m aware of the archaic tradition of what one does when one steps under the mistletoe, Sarah. I’m also aware that you must have lifted it from the common room and when Alison Hendrix realizes you’ve taken one of her precious decorations, she’ll most likely come barging in here, demanding your head.”

Her laugh came out strained and barky and she cursed Rachel for turning her into a blithering idiot. The cocky air she carried herself with was nowhere to be found. 

“Sarah,” Rachel was suddenly up and headed toward her, her eyes reflecting the sunlight streaming in through the cheap blinds, “did you honestly believe that a ploy like that was going to get me to kiss you?”

“Uh—” she stuttered. “Yeah, s’pose I did.” Perhaps honesty was the best policy because Rachel was close now, so close she could see the tiny, barely visible freckles that dotted her nose, the lemony scent once again invading her nostrils. 

She exhaled deeply, the sigh seeming to flow through her entire body. “Must I do everything myself?” 

And without further warning, the heel of her hand was on Sarah’s chest, pushing her down onto the bed, her manicured fingernails digging into the sides of her ribs. Then before Sarah was able to move or think or take control of the situation, Rachel was straddling her, and all rational thoughts left her head.

“Rachel,” she moaned into her mouth as the other woman sucked on her pulse point. Her hands were everywhere, and Sarah was aflame. 

Only once did she break away, her head poised right above Sarah’s. She’d smoothed away tangled curls from her face, almost gently, her eyes asking a question.

“Yeah,” Sarah breathed in response, lifting Rachel’s shirt over her head. Her body was lithe and curvy, and her skin was so soft, Sarah wanted to drown in it. 

Later, when they were sweaty and spent and Rachel had made no move to leave the cramped twin bed, Sarah held her cautiously. Neither spoke and she supposed it was better that way. 

Rachel had wrecked her. Somehow, instinctively, she knew that Sarah had held no power at all, none, and she used it to her advantage. It was as hot as hell and she made no move to regain it, allowing Rachel to take her over and over again.

“Rach—” She tested out the nickname on her lips, smiling as it sat easier than she’d anticipated. “How long have you…” she trailed off, embarrassed. 

To her relief, Rachel only raised her eyebrows slightly, not offended. “I certainly can’t put a definitive time stamp on it, Sarah. Months, I suppose.”

“Months? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Would it have made a difference?” She questioned softly, sighing. “Once I realized you were set upon trying to get me into this situation, I had to decipher your motives. If I was simply a conquest to you, I decided I was going to be in control.”

“You were, at first,” Sarah admitted roughly. “Things changed though. You’re—alright, Rachel.”

“So are you.” Rachel drew a fingernail down over her collarbone, sweeping her thumb across the expanse of it. “In fact, I believe I could grow quite fond of you, given enough time.”

She’d proven she was more than fond of her, with her fingers and her mouth, over and over and Sarah had gladly returned the favor. All of Rachel’s odd ways, her awkwardness, her cool and calm exterior—it didn’t bother her nearly as much somehow. 

They enjoyed each other a few more times, Sarah only hopping out of bed to pay for the Thai delivery they’d ordered and ate right out of the carton.

“Hey,” Sarah slurped up a noodle, pausing to look at Rachel thoughtfully. “This may be a total shot in the dark and I’m fully prepared for you to laugh in my face but—” she took a deep breath, “do you think you may fancy coming home with me? My mum has plenty of room and she’d welcome you with open arms. It doesn’t have to mean anything you don’t want it to, yeah?” she added hurriedly. “So you don’t have to go home to your witch of a mother. It’s Christmas. Nobody should have to suffer.” She poked Rachel lightly in the arm with a grin. “Not even you.”

The look of apprehension on Rachel’s face was slowly morphing into something else, surprise…gratefulness, perhaps.

Hope.

“I think perhaps, I may take you up on that offer, if you really meant it,” Rachel replied hesitantly. “It’s been a long while since I’ve had a proper Christmas.”

“Well, then,” Sarah boldly leaned down to kiss the top of her shoulder, “you’re in luck. Mum lives for Christmas. Big tree and presents and cooking enough to feed the whole neighborhood.”

“If you’re certain it will be alright.”

“She always says the more the merrier.” Sarah’s eyes twinkled. “What do you say?”

A genuine smile formed on Rachel’s lips as she nodded slowly. “I accept your invitation, Sarah.”

“Good. It’s settled then.”

“Come here.” Abruptly, Rachel took the carton from her hand and pulled her up, draping the thin bedsheet around their bodies like a blanket. She led her to the doorframe, her fingers interlaced through Sarah’s.

“What are you—”

Her question was cut off by Rachel’s mouth on hers, kissing her until they were both breathless.

“We couldn’t squander perfectly good stolen mistletoe, now could we?” Rachel said by way of explanation. “Not after all the effort you went through.”

Sarah laughed, pulling her tightly to her chest, the sheet falling at their feet. “Merry Christmas, Rachel.”

“Merry Christmas, Sarah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This a very, very belated birthday gift for the awesome Kat, which turned into a belated Christmas gift! Enjoy and I hope everyone had amazing holidays!

**Author's Note:**

> December...  
> You've always been a problem child  
> December...  
> You run me down right restless and wild  
> And I remember when you used to be mine  
> December...  
> December...  
> -Sara Bareilles


End file.
